


A is A: Ascension

by Flyboy254



Series: A Is A [5]
Category: Command & Conquer (Video Games), Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga, Stargate SG-1
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-17
Updated: 2018-02-17
Packaged: 2019-03-20 08:57:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13714326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flyboy254/pseuds/Flyboy254
Summary: SG-1, accompanied by Col. Mustang and his squad, enter a parallel dimension locked in a conflict against a terrorist group capable of things even the Goa'uld would take pause at.





	A is A: Ascension

**Ascension**

 

Makarov watched as the team walked to the gate room, standing atop several file boxes to do it. “And my children are still safe?”

 

“Their last report stated that Gen. Vollmer managed to convince his superiors that the European Union’s war objectives would be more effectively accomplished by utilizing the aid of your guild members.” Gen. Hammond looked down to see SG-1 and and Mustang’s squad getting ready to enter the quantum mirror. “Now you’re sure this will enable an immediate return for all our teams?”

 

Makarov held up the lacrima bracelet, a light blue crystal wrapped in rubber. “Tuned to this exact universe. All they need to do is touch it and it activates, no magical skill required.”

 

“ _Maj. Carter must be tearing her hair out._ ” Chuckling, Gen. Hammond went to the window and grabbed the mic. “Colonel, are you ready?”

 

Both Mustang and O’Neill looked up. “All ready, sir.” Both looked at each other and Mustang motioned to O’Neill. “Thanks again for the new gear Mr. Makarov, we’ll make sure to put it to good use.”

 

Makarov waved with a smile, leaning to the microphone. “Glad to know we can help out, Col. O’Neill. Good luck on this mission of yours.”

 

Hammond took the mic. “SG-1, Col. Mustang, you have a go.”

 

The gate opened, shimmering white at the edges and striking Mustang and his squad with awe. “So, this is what led you to us then.”

 

O’Neill patted Mustang on the back, O’Neill’s fatigues clashing with the white overcoats Mustang’s team worse, nevermind the clear difference between SG-1’s P90s and Mustang’s bolt and lever-action rifles. “Don’t worry, you get used to this.”

 

A walk through the wormhole, and the teams were standing on the outskirts of a small abandoned village. The MALP had reported satellite signals similar to what the Air Force was already using, leading to the going theory that it was a branch universe close to SG-1’s own. The desert was already ramping up to midday heat, but there was no sign that there was any civilization in the immediate area.

 

“Looks familiar,” Mustang said. “Almost like Ishval.”

 

Daniel shrugged as he shifted his cap to keep the sun out. “Well there’s a saying for this, believe it or not; A is A.”

 

Breda nodded. “I get it. No matter where you go, some things will always be the same. Don’t think they had alternate dimensions in mind for it though.”

 

O’Neill adjusted his sunglasses and looked around. “Okay Mustang, what do you say?”

 

An explosion sounded in the distance, and Mustang looked in the direction. “Well, that’s as good as any. Lieutenant, Havoc, both of scout ahead and use these radios to tell us what you see.” The two nodded, sprinting off into the massive mesas and boulders ahead of the group. “Do all your missions typically start off with explosions and combat?”

 

Daniel shrugged. “No, typically we have at least ten or twenty before the shooting starts.”

 

Running ahead, Hawkeye heard the sound of rotors overhead. Looking up, she saw several black-and-red “helicopters” flying overhead, bearing a scorpion’s tail on their underside. “Col. O’Neill, there’s multiple helicopters. They’re red and black, with a scorpion insignia, do you recognize it at all?”

 

“ _No dice Hawkeye,_ ” O’Neill radioed back. “ _Just stay on track, find the source of that blast and tell us where to find it._ ”

 

Havoc checked his rifle. “So you think we’d be better off back home dealing with rebuilding Ishval right now? I mean it’s not like we’re seeing a lot of new places.”

 

“We’re here because the colonel trusts us,” Hawkeye said, seeing a smaller helicopter with what looked like ordinance on stubby wings fly overhead. “If he thinks he needs us here and not in Ishval, we do as we’re told.” Despite her tone, Havoc could tell that she hated being ordered to go to another universe instead of fix the mistakes in her own homeland.

 

Running to a ridge, Hawkeye heard the sound of a vehicle moving up ahead. Motioning for Havoc to get down, Hawkeye edged to the lip of the canyon and peered over. A small black-and-red tank was moving through it, surrounded by men with red berets and bizarre uniforms. They almost looked like they were wearing pieces of armor on their chests, and they carried massive sniper rifles. “Colonel, I have a tank supported by what appears to be an infantry platoon moving forward through the canyon. I also see smoke on the horizon and a crashed helicopter.”

 

“ _Observe the situation Hawkeye, we’ll meet you in a second. Don’t get sunburned now._ ”

 

Hawkeye went prone, pulling her hood over her head and watching the canyon. Havoc scanned the surroundings, watching for any threats to her left and right. The helicopters continued to fly overhead, until an explosion echoed into the canyon. Scope to her eye, Hawkeye couldn’t see over the canyon walls blocking her sight. One of the small helicopters tried to fly over the area of the explosion, until a rocket flew up from the ground and struck the belly, ripping it apart in a fiery blast. “Col. O’Neill, one of the smaller helicopters was just shot down, there may be a position over at the end of the canyon.”

 

“ _Roger, hold tight we’re almost there._ ”

 

Another series of explosions tore through the distance, more smoke billowing up from the other end of the canyon. Havoc groaned. “Man, first place we go to with these guys and suddenly there’s a huge battle. What do you think, the reds are advancing on an enemy observation post?”

 

“No, there’s too much happening,” Hawkeye said, sighting the man in the beret. In his hands he carried a massive weapon, similar to a bazooka but she didn’t see anyone around the tank carrying spare rockets. “Maybe the tank, but the number of helicopters and personnel make this a bigger incident.”

 

The tank rolled up to the end of the canyon, the soldiers around it looking to the man in the beret for their orders. They started to move, but the tank exploded before they could move away. The soldiers were riddled with bullets, falling around each other before they could even recover from the blast. Hawkeye tried to get a better picture, but the smoke obscured the area just ahead of the unit.

 

“Well that’s a shame, we missed the party.” O’Neill laid down next to Hawkeye. “Situation?”

 

“A tank with a squad of infantry was just ambushed,” Hawkeye said. “I’m sure the man with the beret is an officer, or at least a NCO.”

 

O’Neill pulled out his binoculars and peered ahead. One of the men tried to crawl away from the tank, but a fresh rain of rounds cut him down. A group of feet emerged from behind the smoke, tan combat boots and desert fatigues similar to SG-1s. More feet came running up, wearing gold trousers and black combat boots. The men in gold trousers carried weapons O’Neill couldn’t place, they looked like experimental models that he’d seen but that had never come into production. “Carter, think it’s safe to say that guy has a good radio?”

 

“Probably sir,” Carter said. “Should we contact him?”

 

“No dice,” O’Neill said. “Hawkeye, keep an eye on him. We’ll move down to the other end of the canyon after he passes by and see what the hell happened over there. You two follow him.”

 

Mustang nodded. “Keep yourselves alive. I don’t want to have to explain to the furher why two of my best aren’t coming back.”

 

O’Neill shuddered. “Can you please stop calling him that, it’s just weird, I mean just so weird hearing people say that.”

 

Hawkeye ignored the banter and kept her scope trained on the man. He carried a massive “assault” rifle, a boxy monster with a large magazine that looked more like a small box than anything useful on a weapon. There was another weapon strapped to the man’s back, but even after she could see it Hawkeye couldn’t tell exactly what it was. “Havoc, what does that look like to you?”

 

Havoc pulled out his own field glasses. “Looks like some kind of launcher to me, maybe a one-man mortar?”

 

Hawkeye kept staring as the man ran ahead into the canyon. More helicopters swarmed, and the man pulled the thing from his back. Watching, Hawkeye didn’t react as a rocket streaked out and destroyed a helicopter that was starting to come down. “It’s a bazooka, must use smaller rockets in exchange for stability.”

 

Havoc blinked. “Still pretty powerful. I thought this place was like SG-1’s home, then this stuff happens.”

 

Hawkeye saw the man running towards what looked like a depression in the canyon. “C’mon, we need to keep up with him.”

 

Capt. Nick “Havoc” Parker ducked below the lip of the tunnel dug into the mountainside. “Sakura, they still there?”

 

“ _The two in the white coats following you? Of course they are Nikki,_ ” Sakura said, watching the fighting from her Comanche. “ _They must be locals, they aren’t wearing red and aren’t shooting at you right now._ ”

 

Parker chuckled. “Well, looks like Nod couldn’t actually bribe everyone then. Thanks Sakura, I’ll call you once I get to the facility.”

 

“ _Don’t wait too long Nick, there won’t be any left for you._ ”

 

Shaking his head, Parker looked up over the lip of the tunnel to see the two figures low on the lip of the canyon. It wasn’t that they weren’t good at hiding, but their suits didn’t have a pattern to break up their outline. “So what’re you two doing then?”

 

Rounds raked the sand just above the lip of the tunnel, and Parker saw a group of Black Hand and an APC near another tunnel leading up into the canyon’s walls. “Great, what is it with scorpions and hiding under rocks?” Looking up, Havoc waved to the two figures. “Hey! If you’re gonna be this close to the game you’d better do something to help.”

 

Havoc groaned. “Crap, he sees us. What’s the call Riza?”

 

Hawkeye moved her rifled away from the man, and saw several of the red-clad figures raising their weapons. “Move away from the side of the canyon, we’ll-” Hawkeye stopped as she saw a patch of ground depress a few centimeters to her side. “On the right!” Spinning, Hawkeye kicked out at the space and connected with a solid mass. Pain shot through her leg, but Riza ignored it and watched as the air around a human form shimmered like water in the air. Havoc ran forward and tackled the figure, Hawkeye jumping up and grabbing at the figure’s arms to keep it from attacking. Grabbing her pistol, Hawkeye leveled it at where she could make out a head and fired, sending three rounds into the thing’s head.

 

The shimmering effect fell away, leaving Hawkeye and Havoc to stare at a figure in a metal armor, red and silver with what looked like electronic lines on it. The scorpion tail was on its right chest, and as the thing came into vision Hawkeye saw one of the rounds had pierced a circle on the figure’s armor and pierced their eye.

 

“God,” Havoc said, seeing a weapon in the thing’s right hand. “Col. O’Neill said that they found something like this in an ice age universe. Do you think they’ve already been to that dimension and took the idea?”

 

“That’s not our question to answer,” Hawkeye said, picking up the weapon before tossing it aside. She had no idea how to use it, and if it wound up jamming she was liable to be shot before she could shoulder her rifle. “He attacked us, we neutralized the threat.” Hawkeye looked back to the canyon and the gunfire erupting from it. “He didn’t give us away, that man was here the whole time. He was trying to capture us.”

 

Havoc groaned. “A straight simple fight, that’s all I want. No conspiracies, no crazy plots, just me and another guy shooting at each other. I know I can win that fight.”

 

Hawkeye looked over the side of the canyon to see the man in desert fatigues still under fire. He popped up to try and fire back at the red-armored men but couldn’t get a good sight on the enemy. “Colonel, the individual is about to be overrun, orders?”

 

“Hold position,” O’Neill said, walking up to the blown-out gate of a sprawling facility guarded by men in gold colored trousers. “Hey, so is this for the walking tour of the desert, or is that over the next scorching dune?”

 

One of the men smiled. “Thank God, support. We thought it was just that commando. What’s your unit?”

 

“Col. Jack O’Neill, US Air Force. This is Col. Mustang, he’s a liaison.”

 

The man looked to some of the others. O’Neill noticed they were all shaven, and a few looked like they’d been in a scrap. “You aren’t GDI? I mean we put the word out on the prison comms but we thought you were part of the response force. There’s more of you right?”

 

“Prison?” Mustang looked around at the smoking wreck of a facility. It matched up well enough; squat concrete buildings surrounded by a fifteen-foot wall in the middle of a desert. Even if an inmate did escape it would be child's play to find and bring them back. “What kind of prison?”

 

“Prisoner of war.” The now-identified-as-a prisoner looked at the team. “You guys really aren’t our rescue party?”

 

“No, but we do have medical supplies,” Carter said, motioning to Daniel to take out his IFAK. “Are there any wounded?”

 

“A few,” the prisoner said. “Most of us are fine though, Capt. Parker tore through this place like a hurricane once he broke loose.”

 

O’Neill looked over. “I presume Capt. Parker is…”

 

The prisoner pointed sheepishly toward the gate. “You didn’t pass him as you came in?”

 

Mustang stepped forward. “What was this prison for, what were they doing to you?”

 

“We think they were housing us for medical experiments,” the prisoner said, motioning to a building at the center of the facility. “They were feeding us well, and they had dozens of doctors making sure we were in good condition. Something about ‘ReGenesis’.”

 

O’Neill grabbed the radio. “Hawkeye, start shooting anyone shooting at him.”

 

Hawkeye sent a round slamming home into a man wearing a beret. The sand around her vanished, replaced with the front of her scope and the soldiers inside it. Another round, another man down. Inhale, exhale, trigger squeeze. Like clockwork, another enemy down. Havoc watched it all, scanning the sand again for anything even slightly abnormal. Looking below the canyon, he saw the man raise his rocket launcher and fire. A vehicle across the sand from him exploded, and Hawkeye cut down the last few enemies. “Thanks for the assist,” the man in the canyon said with a wave. “Now get the hell outta here before Nod kills you too.”

 

“Hold your position, we’re coming down,” Hawkeye said, leading the way to a gentler slope in the side of the canyon. “Keep me covered Havoc, if he tries anything don’t let his finish it.”

 

Havoc cocked his carbine. “You think I’d let him?”

 

Safely covered from above, Hawkeye slid down the side of the canyon walls onto a ledge above a flaming armored car. The man kept staring as she kept him covered while Havoc slid down. “Keep your hands visible, no sudden movements.”

 

Parker chuckled. “What is that, a Kar 98? Don’t know if you got the memo, but we’ve kinda upgraded firearms since World War I.”

 

Hawkeye let the remark fly past. “What’s your name? Who were these men you were fighting?”

 

Parker shook his head. “No dice lady, I’ve already got one pissed-off woman circling in a helicopter right now. Don’t need another one with a rifle at my chest. Don’t tell me you feel sorry for these Nod bastards?”

 

“We’re just trying to get the facts straight,” Havoc said, keeping his shotgun up as he walked towards Hawkeye. “Why were you fighting them?”

 

Parker looked around incredulously. “Maybe cause they were attacking me? Prison breaks don’t exactly make your enemies like you.” Havoc looked to Hawkeye for a clue to what was happening. He sounded American, and he wasn’t actively trying to kill them, so probably a point in his favor. “Look, I don’t have time for this, I’ve got some scientists to save and you’re keeping me from doing that. So how about you either back off or just drop dead and save me the trouble.”

 

Hawkeye and Havoc’s radios sparked to life and Col. Mustang came over the signal. “ _Hawkeye, listen up. The guy you’re dealing with is American, this universe is fighting some kind of crazy terrorist group trying to spread bad green rocks. We’ll meet you at his objective, go with him and we’ll explain everything once we meet up._ ”

 

Parker shook his head as he started to walk into the tunnel. “What the hell does he mean ‘go with him’? And why’s he saying universe, what’s going on with you two?”

 

“Suffice to say we’re working together now,” Hawkeye said, looking around the canyon walls. “There are more helicopters on the way, we need to move before they surround us. Where is your objective?”

 

“Look I just said I’m working alone,” Havoc said, walking off from the two. “If you idiots want to tag along fine, but don’t expect me to bail you out of the fire when it’s all over.” Havoc shrugged and started walking behind the man. Hawkeye shook her head and followed suit, eyes peeled for any sign of the invisible men.

 

The tunnel opened up after a quarter mile, and Hawkeye froze. Going prone, she scanned the lip of it and waited. No one was coming their way, and she started to get up when she saw her new “friend” rushing up to the mouth of the tunnel. “We’ve got incoming, flame tank. Get to cover before it sees us.”

 

Havoc motioned to the tunnel. “What ‘cover’, there’s nothing here to get behind.”

 

Parker was about to mouth off when the rumble of treads approached. “Crap, gotta make this a good one. Get down, this won’t be pretty.” Taking the rocket launcher off his back, Hawkeye watched as he held it at his waist and fired. The rocket blasted out at a target, and Hawkeye watched as the man cursed. “C’mon, show me those tanks baby.”

 

Running up, Hawkeye knelt down next to Havoc and saw another red-black vehicle rolling her way. Two massive nozzles jutted in front of it from the sides, joined to a pair of massive tanks filled with flammable liquid. Parker fired again, and Hawkeye watched the rocket fly to the right of the tank. “Adjust your aim, three degrees left and five up.” Parker automatically responded, and a second later the rocket slammed into the right nozzle. “Twenty degrees right and two down.” The other nozzle exploded, and the tank was left leaking flammable liquid onto the sand. Lining up another shot, Parker let off a rocket and scored a hit on the front of the tank. Havoc clambered onto the thing, shoving his carbine barrel into the shattered small window on the hatch and firing as fast as he could work the action.

 

Parker reloaded his launcher. “Not bad. Maybe you two can help me out. Look, what I’m doing is classified, but the situation is that I’ve got a bunch of scientists to rescue and they’re being held in a facility up ahead.”

 

“Great, more secret research labs,” Havoc said. “Last time I went into one of those I wound up with two holes in my gut and I couldn’t walk.”

 

Hawkeye ignored the smell of the fuel used in the flamethrowers. “Do you know how to get inside? What kind of resistance to expect?”

 

Parker laughed. “It’s Nod honey, they love their secret little research labs more than tiberium. They’re more likely to blow it up than let us break out their new acquisitions.” Havoc and Hawkeye looked at each other after Parker called Hawkeye “honey”. “Just stay behind me and pick up whatever you find, shouldn’t be that hard for you to work something that’s actually from this century.”

 

Hawkeye nodded. “Lead on, we’ll stay behind you.”

 

Parker led the way, staying close to the rocks beside the path that had been carved out by heavy use over time by this “Nod” he kept talking about. A massive gray structure rose from the desert ahead, cold and lifeless even compared to the rocks around it. Hawkeye knelt and grabbed her radio. “Colonel, this is Hawkeye. We’ve in sight of a possible hostile facility, our contact says there are kidnap victims inside. Orders?”

 

“ _Follow him for now Hawkeye,_ ” O’Neill radioed. “ _We’re still trying to piece things together here, just stay out of the line of fire until we come to get you._ ”

 

“Roger that sir, we’ll call again when we exit the facility.” Hawkeye heard another explosion and Havoc start to chuckle. “Hawkeye out.”

 

O’Neill nodded and went back to the comm screen. The “GDI” troopers were busy trying to connect it to their network, as they did O’Neill took some time to scan the room. Whatever Nod was, it was a mix between terrorist group, crazy cult, and Goa’uld science lab. The bodies all had small booklets filled with the writings of “Kane” on them, and each of them had some kind of mark of a scorpion tail somewhere on their bodies.

 

Footage started to come through on one of the monitors, and O’Neill was greeted with a middle-aged lieutenant general standing on what looked like a bridge. “ _This is Gen. Locke, GDI task force Bat, this is a secured channel. Identify yourself immediately._ ”

 

“Sir, this is Sgt. Wallace Schrock, serial number 1983-A3-47.” The man motioned to the room around them. “The commando broke us out of a Nod prison facility, we’ve already sent the coordinates in a secured data transmission.”

 

“ _Understood sergeant, good work._ ” Locke looked over to O’Neill. “ _Did local forces assist sergeant?_ ”

 

Schrock shook his head. “No sir, they say they’re American, Air Force.”

 

“Morning sir,” O’Neill said. “Col. Jack O’Neill, how are ya?”

 

Locke cocked his head to the side a little. “ _Colonel, thank you for your assistance. I must admit, I didn’t know that the American government had any additional forces in the region. If we had known we would have asked for your assistance._ ”

 

“Well sir, that’d be a little tricky,” O’Neill said. “One thing might be that I might not be myself.” O’Neill let Locke’s reaction play out for a few seconds before pushing forward. “We met up with your commando sir, I had two of my people go with him to that lab. Call it a hunch but any guys who dress in red and black and wear scorpion tails everywhere probably aren’t the good guys.”

 

Locke’s face went pale. “ _Colonel, you need to recall your people now, that facility is too dangerous to leave to anyone else but Havoc._ ”

 

O’Neill looked to Carter. “Didn’t he just let one man into it? Why shouldn’t we have sent our people sir?”

 

“ _That’s outright insubordination to a superior officer_ _colonel_ ,” Locke said firmly. “ _I doubt the Air Force would appreciate a report that one of their officers would so blatantly disregard the normal customs and courtesies._ ”

 

“That would imply sir that this universe has the same chain of command. Mustang? You want to show the good general here what you have to offer?” Mustang smiled, and stepping into view of the camera on the communications console lit a small flame just above his hand. “Now I don’t know about you sir, but I don’t see any way he could’ve done that with any tricks, do you?”

 

Locke (and the other GDI troopers in the room) stared at Mustang for a solid ten seconds before saying anything. “ _Colonel, that facility is used for research on tiberium, trying to enhance this effect on human bodies._ ”

 

Several images flashed on the screen. It was O’Neill’s turn to be shocked before grabbing his radio. “Hawkeye, Hawkeye get outta there now.” Silence. “Dammit Hawkeye, come in.”

 

“ _Nod facilities are always shielded from unauthorized transmissions,_ ” Locke said. “ _I’m sending support forces colonel, meet them at the prison and hopefully we can figure out just what the hell is going on. Where’s he going?_ ”

 

O’Neill turned to see Mustang and the rest of his squad moving out the door. “Don’t mind him sir, he’s just a very good leader.”

 

Mustang charged out of the compound, glaring ahead as Falman, Breda and Fuery tried to keep apace. “We go in, we kill these Nod fighters, and we get our people out alive. Any questions? Good, let’s move.”

 

* * *

 

Havoc kept watching the sides of the lab as Parker put an explosive charge on a massive door. “So, do you have a name?”

 

“Havoc,” he said, typing in at a small keypad. “That’s all you get.”

 

“Well that’s gonna be confusing,” Havoc said. “Can’t we call you something else?”

 

Parker glared at Havoc. “Hey, I go by that until my leadership decides I can tell you.”

 

“He’s Havoc,” Hawkeye said. “As far as we’re concerned, you’re Sandman.” Havoc made a pained face, unsure if Hawkeye was trying to make a joke or not.

 

“Fine, whatever, just start running.” The three ran around a corner of the facility, and once behind cover Parker pulled the trigger on a detonator. The blast shook their bodies, but running back Hawkeye saw the doors ripped open and ready to enter. Three bodies were strewn about in front of them as they moved into the building, crates and storage containers stacked about ready for use. Red lights flashed warning, klaxons wailing that the facility was under attack. “C’mon, let’s check in here first.”

 

Hawkeye and Havoc followed Parker to the door; it opened on command from what Hawkeye presumed was “motion sensor” technologies she’d learned existed in SG-1’s home. Inside three men stood at control consoles, and when they saw Parker storm in they quickly threw their arms up. One of them even cried out, “Don’t shoot, we’re unarmed!”

 

“You two cover the door, I’m gonna have a quick chat with the docs here.” Parker stormed over, taking out a pistol and leveling it at the men.

 

Hawkeye took a position next to the door, but grunting and groans drew her attention away from just how inhuman they sounded. Scanning her peripheral vision, she realized that this wasn’t a scientific lab. It was a holding chamber filled with cages. Inside were what Hawkeye thought were men, until she realized they had no hair and had greenish skin. Looking through her scope, she fought back against internal revulsion. They had green crystals erupting from their bodies, wrapped in black strips of leather bearing the scorpion insignia. They weren’t human anymore, just animalistic creatures banging on their metal bars trying to break free, shining green eyes alight with rage.

 

Parker put his pistol under the chin of one of the scientists, lifting the man up in the air by their shirt. “Okay buddy, you got ten before I learn just how big your brain really is unless one of you tells me where Dr. Moebius and the others are.”

 

“Don’t, don’t shoot,” the scientist whimpered. “They’re in sub-level delta, you can access it through the dig site.”

 

Parker smiled and set the man down. “That wasn’t so hard. Guess you guys are smart.” The scientists started to smile too, until Parker knocked them both down with his pistol. “We’ve got a starting point, let’s get moving. Wait, are you really staring at those things?”

 

Hawkeye pulled away from the scope. “What happened to them?”

 

“Nod did,” Parker said flatly. “Kane’s convinced that he can use tiberium to turn mankind into something else. Guy’s a lunatic.”

 

Havoc kept watching the door. “We’re used to the idea. First time you see a man’s body with the mind of an animal, it sticks with you. I guess by the second time you just hate whoever does it.”

 

Parker grinned, despite having no idea of the context for Havoc’s question. “That’s the spirit. C’mon, we need to get moving into the facility and get the docs outta here.”

 

Hawkeye started to move, but noticed several dummies on the lower levels dressed in gold uniforms. “What are those in here for?”

 

Parker stopped and looked down. “Oh great, they’re trying to train them. C’mon, things are farther along than we thought.”

 

* * *

 

O’Neill rubbed at his head. “So you’re saying these guys worship a green space rock?”

 

“ _It’s more in-depth than that, colonel,_ ” Locke said firmly. “ _Tiberium has revolutionized the world’s economy, refined and properly made safe it can be utilized in computer chips as the world’s first superconducting material. Nothing we’ve ever made can even approach it. It also contains hundreds of vital minerals and elements in one singular form. Separated from tiberium these elements can be turned to useful and vital purposes._ ”

 

“But you’re saying it kills people and the land aren’t you?” O’Neill pointed to the body of one of the Nod guards. “If lunatics like this are using it why are you?”

 

“ _The world isn’t so black and white as you apparently want it to be colonel,_ ” Locke said. “ _The international economy isn’t so dependent on tiberium as to fall apart without it, but people are rapidly realizing the value. Unless you have a means to stop the spread of the crystal and dismantle the Brotherhood supplying the Third World with these crystals, all we can do is try to contain Kane and Nod._ ”

 

“We can try to help sir,” Carter said. “We’ve gained allies in several…regions, allies that might have ideas on containing tiberium that you might not have thought about yet.”

 

A GDI trooper walked into the room. “Sarge, I just finished with the guards and- Sam?!” His eyes locked onto Carter. “Sam, what the hell, how’d you get here?”

 

Carter looked at the man quizzically. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”

 

The man started to tear up. “You…you and I were dating…the Nod bombing of Denver International…I though you died…”

 

Carter’s eyes narrowed. “Bill Robinson? Oh my God, Bill, no, this isn’t what you think.”

 

Locke leaned forward. “ _Col. O’Neill, I suggest you start from the beginning. And I would recommend you leave nothing out._ ”

 

O’Neill sighed. Daniel could only give Jack a shrug. “Okay sir, well it all starts with a trip through a stargate.”

 

* * *

 

Havoc shook his head as Parker ran out of the observatory. “I don’t get it, what do people who make monsters need a telescope for? And that other room with those green lights inside those little boxes? None of this makes sense.”

 

“It makes sense to Kane, that’s reason enough to blow it to hell.” Charging back into the central holding area, Parker looked around. “Okay, that tech said they were doing some digging right? Where’s the most dirt around here? And no one say my mouth.”

 

Hawkeye pointed to her left. “There, vehicle tracks with fresh dirt coming away from that elevator.”

 

Parker nodded. “Looks like you two aren’t so useless after all. C’mon, we’re short on time as it is.”

 

Havoc looked down at the bodies they’d left as the elevator started moving down. “So who are these guys anyway? Some kind of rogue science confederation?”

 

Parker looked at Havoc with more than simple disbelief. “Have you been living under a rock or something? They’re the Brotherhood of Nod.” Hawkeye and Havoc gave Parker the same blank look. “Deadliest terrorists in years? Lunatics who just leave bombs everywhere?”

 

“Terrorists?” Hawkeye shook her head. “What kind of terrorist group is so well funded that they can operate and staff a facility this massive? To use vehicles like they do?”

 

“The kind that uses tib money to fund their operations.” The elevator hit the bottom of the shaft, and Parker dropped down to scan the area. The corridor below was massive, and there was only one way ahead. The entire area was bathed in blue light, but ahead Hawkeye could see through plexiglass massive pipes with viewports that were filled with a green liquid.

 

The trio ran ahead to a corner, but Parker stopped them at the edge. Taking out a small compact mirror, he scoffed. “Knew it, they were laying out a welcoming party for us.” He angled it to show Hawkeye and Havoc that there was a massive armored truck and a small scout car waiting for them, with a squad armed and ready to fire at the first sign of movement. Which is why a second later the mirror went flying out of Parker’s hand in a dozen pieces. “Well they know we’re here. Got any grenades?”

 

Havoc pulled two out. “Careful, these are the only two I’ve got.”

 

“They’ll do,” Parker said, the potato mashers antiquated to his modern eyes. “Okay, remember that we’re only getting one shot at this. If something happens to me, get to the docs and get them outta here, okay?” Hawkeye and Havoc nodded. “Alright, on three we throw around the corner, let me do the rest. One, two, three!”

 

The two tossed the grenades, the modulated screams of the Nod terrorists cut off by the explosions of the grenades. Parker jumped to the side with the rocket launcher in hand, firing two at the vehicles and ducking back behind the corner as the explosions rocked the corridor. “Yeah, I think they’re all dead.”

 

The three walked through the burning wrecks of the vehicles, Hawkeye and Havoc unable to avoid stepping on parts of bodies. Hawkeye could see flesh through cracked faceplates, eyes looking blankly up at nothingness.

 

A door opened ahead, and a man in a strange green suit with a red helmet covering his entire head walked out. The three instantly brought their weapons up and fired, the man dropping as the red helmet cracked open. The weapon on his back exploded, a green mist erupting into the corridor. Parker held up a hand. “Keep back, that’s tib aerosol. One breath and you’re dead.”

 

Hawkeye heard it first from the far corridor. “Vehicle, we need cover.”

 

“No time,” Parker said, turning his launcher to the other end of the corridor, he fired the second red paint came into view. Hawkeye saw the front of a cargo truck explode, two bodies thrown by the blast ahead of them. “Alright, that’s gotta be coming from the dig. We move in, save the docs, blow the place to hell, and get out.”

 

Havoc grinned. “Gotta admit, I like your style. No sneaking around, no complicated plans, and no freaky monsters that you can’t kill unless you’re specially trained.”

 

Parker looked back at Havoc. “You two are weird, you know that right?”

 

Following Parker, Hawkeye and Havoc looked around inside the dig site the truck had come from. A massive cavern stretched out before them, massive halogen lights illuminating the entire chamber giving the illusion of midday beneath the Earth. Hawkeye went prone and sighted in a man in Nod armor, standing behind a technician monitoring a console. One shot, and the soldier was down. Rifle fire peppered the catwalk in front of them, but a slight adjustment later and two terrified technicians were fleeing for their lives. “Let’s keep moving.”

 

* * *

 

Gen. Mark Shepherd appeared on the screen beside Gen. Locke. “ _We’ve confirmed your story colonel, it took some doing but the Pentagon confirmed your claims. They said the stargate is still secured, but that no one returned from the Abyddos mission._ ”

 

Carter looked around. “Sir, what about me? I apparently died in Denver?”

 

Shepherd nodded. “ _Dr. Samantha Carter was killed in a Nod terrorist attack eight months ago, a bombing on Denver International. By all rights, at least knowing what I did two hours ago, none of you are alive._ ”

 

O’Neill nodded. “Yeah, alternate dimensions will do that. It’s like my dad always said.”

 

Daniel looked up. “Your dad had sayings about finding out you’re dead in alternate universes?”

 

O’Neill paused. “Okay, not exactly.”

 

“ _Well it seems desperate times are making for desperate measures,_ ” Shepherd said. “ _Locke, we’re authorizing the use of the ion cannon in Africa, the lab boys think that the time is right for field tests. Get the doctors from that facility and get your task force ready. You need to begin an assault on Nod’s temple outside Cairo, I’ll send you the details in a secure transmission. Col. O’Neill, given the situation I need you to move to the test lab and help secure the area for our choppers to fly in and extract the Moebius family and Dr. Petrova._ ”

 

O’Neill gave a blithe salute. “Will do sir, we’ll talk about the finer points of things later. Sergeant, think we can borrow a few men to help us police the area?”

 

The sergeant looked confused. “Police the area? Sir that place is crawling with Nod by now.”

 

“Not after Mustang gets through with them it won’t.”

 

* * *

 

Havoc shook himself off as the clear door rotated to let them through into the depths of the facility. “Ugh, why do you need a shower to walk into a room?”

 

Parker shook his head. “It’s a decon shower you dope. What unit are you with, don’t they have basic NBC training?”

 

Havoc shook his head. “Let’s just say we’re learning about a lot of new methods of warfare right now.”

 

The room ahead was empty, save for a large mechanical device. Hawkeye noticed it was emitting light from the top, and as they approached the head and shoulders of a man appeared in the center of it. He was bald, with a neatly trimmed goatee and piercing eyes. “Parker,” he said. “Your interference is becoming troublesome. And who are these two? I thought you worked alone captain, now you need friends?” Even as a hologram Kane's face held a mocking superiority over Parker. 

 

“Don’t ask me, they tagged along.” Parker gave the image a grin. “Now how about you let the doctors go, and I won’t go destroying all of this place.”

 

The bald man smiled, his eyes glancing to Hawkeye’s right. “Fortunately I don’t make deals with the oppressors.” The image cut out, and Hawkeye saw a door on the right open and something step out.

 

If it had been human, it wasn’t anymore. Green crystals still jutted out of it, along with an automail arm and some kind of metal apparatus on the head. Across its chest was a leather strip, emblazoned with the red scorpion insignia. The trio fired on the new threat, but it didn’t drop like the others. Hawkeye saw rounds ripping through the muscular chest of the creature, but it didn’t drop. Calmly, it raised the weapon it had in its hands, and Hawkeye noticed that there were green accessories on the sides along the barrel. The rifle fired, and as Hawkeye rolled away she saw that there were green marks on the wall behind Parker.

 

Havoc fired his carbine over and over, diving behind a column to reload. “What is this thing, some kinda homunculus?”

 

“It’s a cyborg idiot,” Parker said, loading a fresh magazine and firing off another burst as the creature stomped forward. “Aim for the thing’s eye, or it’s brain if you can get it.”

 

Hawkeye blinked, but looking at the creature’s head she saw it; the thing’s brain was left exposed. Standing up, Hawkeye fired at the pink ridge on the creature’s head and felt frustrated as the thing just stopped, shook its head, and raised the rifle again. Adjusting her sight, she fired at the red circle in the center of the metal mask across the creature’s face. In slow motion the creature fell back dead. Parker walked up and took out his pistol, unloading into the monster’s brain to be sure it was dead. Hawkeye stared at the monster. It wasn’t like the homunculi she’d faced, it was clearly inhuman and a monster to rightly destroy. On closer inspection it hadn't been given automail, at least not automail that she would recognize. It wasn’t integrated with the body, it looked more like it had been jammed inside the creature, the skin trying in vain to heal around it.

 

Parker looked around the communications device and grinned. “Alright, there’s an elevator that goes down. If I know Nod that’s exactly where they’ve got the eggheads. Make sure that if you’re shooting at someone that they’ve got a gun in their hands.”

 

The elevator stopped, and as the doors opened up Hawkeye noticed first that no one was shooting at them. There were a dozen cells with clear windows to see through; one had an older man in a lab coat inside banging on the glass. The other had a tattooed woman in a leather vest looking up at the ceiling. The rest were filled with the mutated prisoners. Those were all secondary to the fact that three people stood on a platform next to a glass container with a massive blue crystal inside, huge electrodes surrounding them. One was a giant man, glowing green veins barely contained in his skin. His stomach was ripped apart revealing wires across his body, and his mouth had been altered to fit some kind of device. There were two women; a blonde one with glasses one wore a lab coat, and was busy injecting a younger woman with short brown hair with what Hawkeye presumed was a sedative that knocked the brunette out cold.

 

Parker shook his head. “Dr. Petrova?” His voice quickly hardened. “So, that’s how it is.”

 

“Wait,” the woman said, her accent only making the pounding footsteps of the monster more menacing. “It gets better.”

 

Parker sounded incredulous as Hawkeye saw him recognize the hulking beast. “Raveshaw?”

 

Dr. Petrova smiled as a man in invisibility armor appeared, grabbing the brunette before disappearing again. “A new and improved version.”

 

Parker raised an eyebrow. “Eh, at least he’s taller.”

 

Petrova ignored the comment. “I’m taking the Moebius girl with me. I have no need for the others. Do you understand?” The thing that was Raveshaw nodded, stalking forward to the trio. “Look at you, the ultimate assassin. Loyal, strong, and mindless. Living proof that Project ReGenesis is a _success_. Kane will be pleased.”

 

Parker scoffed. “Sure, you turned Raveshaw into a walking turnip, some ‘success’.”

 

Petrova scowled as she walked off, another soldier in invisible armor helping her fade into nothing. “Kill him my pet, kill them all _slowly._ ” The monster reared back, and Hawkeye knew that if it could speak it would be unleashing a feral roar.

 

Parker started running, peppering the creature with gunfire as he ran. “Get the doc and get outta here!”

 

Hawkeye and Havoc ran around the platform, the creature leaping at Parker with enhanced legs that Hawkeye could hear the metal in as it landed. She ignored the sounds coming from around her, she remained focused on the goal; get the doctor out. “The console, it should open the cells.” Ignoring the sound of Parker shouting at a fist slammed into a metal wall, Hawkeye scanned the console for any sign of how to work it. “ _Dammit, why didn’t the colonel give us Fuery?_ ”

 

Havoc pulled Hawkeye down, Parker slamming into the console from across the room. Grunting, he grinned as he looked to the pair. “Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt. Peewee just got a good throwing arm and he’s trying it out.”

 

Raveshaw let out another silent roar, and reached out into air. In a split second a Nod invisible soldier appeared, trying vainly to escape from Raveshaw’s grip before the life was crushed out of him. Pulling back, Raveshaw threw the man at the trio. Their eyes went wide as the armored figure came rushing at them, and they dove away just into time for the Nod soldier to fly face first into the console and go limp. Parker smiled and grabbed a weapon away from the dead man, the same kind that had been pointed at Hawkeye earlier on the canyon. “Okay tib-brain, let’s see how you like a light show.”

 

Hawkeye watched as Parker knelt down and started firing, the weapon shooting off brilliant pulses of red light. Raveshaw tried to cover his head but the beam burned away at his arms, more metal implants showing through the burned flesh. Raveshaw jumped up to the rafters, but Parker didn’t relent. Blasts of red light peppered Raveshaw, until the giant stumbled and fell. He didn’t scream, there was only the loud thud of Raveshaw landing on the metal floor.

 

Parker grinned as he stood over the body. “Guess size _doesn’t_ matter.”

 

Havoc groaned. “Oh my God it’s O’Neill Jr.”

 

Hawkeye looked to the cells and realized two things. One, they all had consoles that could open then. Two, the woman had vanished. The only things left in her cell were unlocked restraints and a fallen piece of ceiling. “Should we be concerned about this?”

 

Parker chuckled as he walked over to the doctor’s cell. “That’s my girl.”

 

The second glass door slid up, and Dr. Ignatio Moebius stumbled out mid-ramble. “-Have to find my daughter! Where have they taken her?”

 

Parker held up his hands. “Calm down doc, I’ll call in for a sweep and clear.”

 

Moebius shook his head. “This facility is wired with electronic countermeasures, we’ll have to reach the surface to get a clear signal.”

 

Parker sighed. “Then we’ll head to the surface. Now this place is crawling with mutants, so stay close. Got it?” Parker turned around to see Moebius had gone. “Hey!” Looking to Havoc and Hawkeye, Havoc pointed to the giant blue crystal and an enraptured Dr. Moebius. Parker shook his head. “Must run in the family.”

 

As Mustang entered the hole in the door to the facility, he saw men in red armor running about, radioing for backup and marking their position. What Mustang could see as well was that they all wore the scorpion emblem. Even the massive ones with green skin and massive plates of metal armor.

 

“I’m only going to burn some of them,” he said. Some of the Nod troops had looked up to notice him. “We’ll interrogate the ones left and find Hawkeye and Havoc.” Raising his hand in front of him, Mustang snapped his fingers.

 

Havoc groaned as Parker tried to pull Moebius away from the blue crystal. “Geez, this guy’s a lunatic. He’s so wrapped up in that rock I think he forgot his daughter’s been kidnapped.”

 

“He also mentioned that his armored suit might be able to get out a radio transmission,” Hawkeye said as Mobeius was led to the elevator. “That’s enough to keep him alive as far as I care.”

 

The sounds of the cell doors caught everyone’s attention, and three of the monsters came charging out. Hawkeye caught one in the head, Havoc and Parker took down the other two with sustained fire. Despite the hail of bullets the other two only collapsed after they had nearly gotten in arms reach of the four.

 

“Extraordinary are they not?” Moebius was enraptured, walking over to one of the bodies.

 

Parker scoffed. “Look like freaks to me.”

 

Moebius knelt down, reaching out his hand to one of the bodies. “A marvel of modern science. What a rare advantage for studying the effects of tiberium on living tissues.”

 

Parker grabbed the doctor away from the bodies. “You sure lose track a lot, doc. Sydney? GDI?”

 

Havoc and Hawkeye got on the elevator as the good doctor came to his senses. “Oh yes, thank you. I find myself distracted. Let’s move, shall we?”

 

Havoc rolled his eyes. “Thanks for finally getting the message doc, I was hoping I wouldn’t have to die today by monster attack.”

 

Moebius shook his head. “Actually they’re the initial stages of Nod’s project, named ‘initiates’. They’re simply introduced to low-level but consistent exposure of the _riparius_ strain. I believe that since their more advanced goals have been achieved Nod is simply making them now for numbers alone. Why a single company of them unleashed at the right moment could decimate a GDI base, or expose hundreds of civilians inside a city in under an hour.”

 

Hawkeye calmly loaded a stripper clip into her rifle. “Doctor, this might surprise you but you’re losing track again.”

 

As the elevator reached the top of the sub-levels, an explosion shook the facility. Parker rushed out with Moebius in tow. “Great, Nod remembered the self-destruct. They must know GDI’s coming for them now.”

 

Hawkeye nodded. “How long would you estimate we have?”

 

“They must still have some important gear to evacuate, I’d say we’ve got a little over a half-hour to get out.” Parker checked his watch.

 

An electronic voice sounded over the PA. “Warning, product containment systems violated. All personnel evacuate immediately.”

 

Moebius sighed. “The containment alarm has been triggered. That door is using a dual-custody lock system, we need both key cards to access it and escape.”

 

“Looks like I have to keep you alive a little longer.” Looking around, Parker pointed to the door on their left. “Let’s see if anyone working down here has what we need.” Parker and Havoc went to both sides of the door, Hawkeye keeping a hand on Dr. Moebius so he wouldn’t run off again. Parker counted with his fingers, and on three they rushed the door.

 

Fire, screaming, and monstrous roaring were on the other side of the door. Nod soldiers were busy wielding flamethrowers against the initiates, as the initiates ripped the soldiers apart by the limbs or bludgeoned them with their own rifles. Ceiling-mounted guns fired into the chaos, and before the two could be shot Havoc and Parker dove into a small alcove inside the lab.

 

“Well I’ve lived a full life,” Havoc said, tapping off some ash from his cigarette. “So what do we do…”

 

Parker was at the window, watching as a Nod soldier was pulled apart between two mutants. “Now? Well I was gonna put some money on the mutants, they’ve clearly got the longer reach.”

 

Havoc grabbed Parker’s shoulder and turned the commando around. “Isn’t that the same eagle you wear?”

 

Parker saw it, the same power armored suit that Sydney had worn on the mission. “You’re right it is. Okay, new plan. I clear the room out and we get the doc to put that suit on. Once it’s set we use it to break through that door and get back to the surface.”

 

A thud drew their attention back to the window, where a flaming mutant was trying to bash his way inside. A fresh blast of flame enveloped it, and behind the collapsing body was a man in a respirator holding a flamethrower. Havoc backed up against the nearest wall. “Tell me you have a plan for this?”

 

Parker looked down at the laser rifle in his hand, focusing on the crystal at the front. “One or two. Just stand back and let me handle it.”

 

The door opened, and the flame trooper stalked in. Parker dashed right, the flamethrower sweeping in an arc as it followed Parker. Havoc shouted, heat washing over him as the fuel burned through the room. Parker jumped off the wall, the spray concentrated closer to the nozzle. Batting it down with his boot, Parker slammed the laser rifle across the terrorist’s faceplate, cracking the glass and downing the foe. Parker grabbed the flamethrower and grinned.

 

Havoc patted out his smoldering uniform. “Why the hell didn’t you just shoot him with that thing?”

 

“He’s wearing heat and flame-resistant gear,” Parker said, tossing aside the sparking laser rifle; clearly it hadn’t been intended for hand-to-hand. “Even if I hit him in the face I’d bet good money it wouldn’t have done anything.” Peering out the door, Parker knelt down and torched one of the ceiling guns. “C’mon, let’s get the doc in here and suit him up.”

 

Parker ran out to clear the room as Havoc went to grab Hawkeye and Moebius. Hawkeye had to physically drag the good doctor away from the projection screen and to the suit, but as it powered up Moebius shook his head. “Just as I suspected, even the suit is unable to break through the interference. We’ll have to get closer to the surface in order to contact GDI.”

 

Parker wiped off what Hawkeye wanted to presume was soot from his face. “Fine, then punch out the door and let’s get moving.”

 

Moebius looked at Parker with confusion. “Punch it out?” Parker tapped on the metal arm of the suit. “Oh, yes, I thought we were going to use the key cards to escape.”

 

Hawkeye walked up to Moebius. “Doctor, I understand that you are going through a very stressful time at the moment, and that you clearly have a lot to process.” She grabbed the neck of the suit and pulled Moebius face to face. “But if you don’t get us out of here before the self-destruct your daughter will be trapped with Nod. Stay focused and put that suit to use.”

 

Moebius nodded, and flanked by the Amestrians and commando walked up to the revolving door out of the labs. Punching out the plexiglass, Moebius cleared away the edges to let the others through behind him. A battle echoed up ahead, and edging up a ramp Hawkeye saw that several of the monsters were already attacking three Nod terrorists wielding a weapon that reminded Hawkeye of the Amestrian “sausage grinder” mounted gun. Parker and Havoc fired on the creatures, Hawkeye plugging the terrorists through the glass on their gas masks. Parker fired at the ceiling, blowing up a trio of guns above them.

 

Parker cycled the launcher. “Okay, show of hands kids. Who thinks we’ll actually get out of here alive?”

 

Havoc pointed to Moebius. “Why aren’t we sending him ahead? He could at least draw fire if we put a helmet on his head.”

 

Moebius looked around in confusion. “You won’t even give me a weapon?” Parker and Havoc glared at the scientist.

 

“Ten minutes until the charges go off,” Hawkeye said. “Even if we made a full sprint we’d have to face anything waiting for us along the way.”

 

An explosion rocked the facility. Parker grinned with grim acceptance. “Great, they cut costs on the charges. Now I get to look forward to dying with you idiots.”

 

Another explosion rocked them all, and Hawkeye looked up. “Wait, I know that blast signature. That isn’t an explosive charge, that’s alchemy.”

 

Moebius chuckled. “My dear, alchemy? I assure you that as much as Nod may try to dress their work up in mysticism there is no such thing.”

 

A third blast threw them all to the ground, and Parker pushed himself up and pointed his launcher down the nearest corridor. “Okay, I don’t care what’s about to come out way, I’m not going to let it kill me without a fight.”

 

Havoc kicked the launcher aside, punching Parker across the jaw and away from the corridor. Parker threw the launcher away and grabbed a combat knife. Havoc pulled out his own, and the two stared each other down. Parker lunged at Havoc with a shout, until his knife was blasted out of his hands by a burst of flame.

 

“I don’t appreciate people assaulting my subordinates,” Mustang said, strolling forward with his hand raised, finger and thumb ready to snap. “I’ll say this once. Stand down.”

 

Hawkeye smiled and stood up. “Colonel. We found Dr. Moebius, we need to evacuate the base now before a self-destruct mechanism detonates.”

 

“That won’t be a problem Hawkeye,” Mustang said, keeping an eye on Parker as the commando tried to figure out what threw the blade from his hand. “I already had a talk with the commander of the facility. He deactivated it a few minutes ago.”

 

Parker shook his head. “You’re kidding me. How’d you get a fanatic like that to deactivate the self-destruct?” Mustang saw one of the mutants starting to rise from the floor, and with a snap blew it back and lit it aflame. Parker stared at the burning body, then looked back at Mustang. “Nice, can you change the channels by blinking too?”

 

As they ran for the surface Parker saw the destruction wrought by Mustang and had to stop from reacting. Bodies were everywhere, Nod and mutant strewn over each other burned black from explosions. Vehicles were left afire under the facility while scorch marks littered the interior. “You got a thing for burning people pal?”

 

Mustang didn’t look back as he strode through the smoldering remains of the facility, ignoring the familiar smell of burnt flesh and hair. “They threatened my subordinates. You’re telling me that I should have shown restraint?”

 

Parker passed the body of a particularly burned Black Hand trooper. What was left of them at least. The wall behind them had been scorched perfectly around an outline of their body; the outline made it look like the trooper had been about to fire. “You don’t mess around with your people, I’ll give you that.”

 

“And I’m supposed to be impressed by you?” Mustang shot a look back at Parker. “You were willing to charge into this place alone, for what? Was it your plan to get yourself killed and let those doctors be forced to continue working on making more monsters?”

 

Parker scowled back at Mustang. “I had it under control, all your buddies did was maybe save me a couple of rounds.”

 

Outside the facility Nigel “Gunner” Grant looked over the scene before him trying to puzzle out what happened. Three Nod transport choppers were now part of the canyon walls, scorched bodies piled around the floor of the canyon and inside the facility. A Nod light tank smoked, a charred hand halfway out of the turret. “God, your man did all this?”

 

O’Neill nodded. “Well, probably not _all_ of it, but a good portion. Sixty, seventy percent tops.”

 

Gunner shook his head. There was no way to factor this all in, one man being able to do such damage to a facility guarded by the Black Hand. Only Capt. Parker had been able to do this kind of work, the idea that anyone could match such destructive capabilities made Gunner shudder.

 

“I’ve got movement inside the facility,” Deadeye said. “Seven, one wearing some kind of heavy armor. Six have cloaks, wait, four of them are using bolt-action rifles.”

 

“That’s them,” O’Neill said, grabbing his radio. “Mustang, that you walking out of there?” Silence. “Mustang?”

 

“ _It’s us sir,_ ” Hawkeye radioed, a heated argument going on in the background. “ _The colonel and the captain are presently discussing the captain’s tactics._ ”

 

O’Neill realized what Hawkeye was saying when they get closer. “And I’m telling you that I work better alone, you don’t know the first thing about dealing with Nod.”

 

Mustang pointed a finger at Parker. “And I’m telling you that you’re a reckless lunatic who needs to remember that a soldier’s first duty is to follow their orders.”

 

Parker scoffed. “Jokes on you, I’m a Marine.”

 

“Can we all please load up now?” O’Neill motioned to the transport. “Apparently we have a big game to get to and we can’t afford to be late.”

 

Parker looked up in confusion. “Big game? What are you talking about?”

 

“ _Good to hear from you Havoc,_ ” Locke said over Parker’s radio. “ _Bring Dr. Moebius back to the ship, we have new orders. We’re to assault Nod’s temple outside of Cairo. Our new friends will accompany you and Dead Six._ ”

 

Parker growled as the others boarded the chopper. “Dammit Locke, didn’t I tell you I work alone? How many more are you gonna saddle me with? Why not throw in a kid sidekick too while you’re at it?”

 

Daniel shook his head as he boarded the chopper beside Carter. “I don’t think we should tell him about Erza and the others yet.”

 

* * *

 

GDI forces swarmed the area around the temple, taking Nod prisoners away and gathering up as much intelligence as possible. Mustang stood outside the demolished structure, mind still working over what he’d seen. Science beyond explanation, men willingly turned to monsters, beings from other worlds. The sight of a scientist so driven to prove what she discovered was actually valuable that she threw away her own humanity. And a man who looked so human, yet acted with such awesome inhumanity. “What was it Dr. Jackson mentioned to us Hawkeye? A is A?”

 

“Gen. Locke is waiting for us at the staging point sir,” Hawkeye said, carrying one of the rifles she’d been forced to grab from a dead Nod sniper. “He wants to talk with all of us.”

 

Mustang nodded, putting the images of Dr. Petrova in her transformed state out of his mind’s eye.

 

Falman sat with Havoc at a medical station, sporting a bandage over his eye and a sling on his right arm. The doctor had cleared him of serious injury, but recommended that he spend time to convalesce. Havoc had his jaw wrapped in gauze, and Mustang couldn’t help but enjoy the sight of his loyal knight being forced to go without a cigarette for a few hours.

 

Locke stood behind an eight-wheeled armored car with radio aerials sticking out of the top. Parker stood against the vehicle, arms crossed and glaring at Mustang as the colonel walked up. Daniel was busy going over what he saw in the depths of the temple with two GDI soldiers, as Carter went over a Nod laser rifle. As much as everyone saw it, no one was ready to talk about the flying saucer yet. Looking up from his radio call, Locke nodded. “Col. Mustang, excellent work sir. The Nod forces at the base were captured or killed, all the mutated individuals have been contained. It doesn’t look like they can be cured however, their physical structure is so warped by Nod’s experiments that any attempt at rehabilitation would result in their deaths.”

 

Mustang nodded. “Do you have any information on where Kane is?”

 

Locke shook his head. “GDI is trying to increase actions in Eastern Europe, it’s a Nod stronghold and we need to focus on it. With our work in North Africa finished, we may just be able to divert our resources.”

 

Parker raised a hand. “Do I get any say in this?”

 

Locke smiled. “Of course you do Havoc, you get to say that you’ll do as you’re ordered.”

 

“Oh don’t mind the good captain,” O’Neill said, walking over with some food already in-hand. “He’s just angry that Mustang can cause more damage in ten seconds than he could in five minutes.” Parker rolled his eyes.

 

“Well my superiors are more concerned with the aftermath of you all showing up,” Locke said. “Gen. Shepherd briefed the Joint Chiefs and the UN Security Council as best he could, but he wants someone to talk to them personally.”

 

Carter looked up from examining a captured laser rifle. “You’re planning on asking us for our help.”

 

“At the very least,” Locke said. “We’ve never faced a threat like Nod, and we don’t doubt for a second that Tiberium will continue to be a problem long into our future. Hopefully bringing in the aid of others capable of looking problems from…‘new’ angles will help us determine a way to stop the spread of tiberium and finally put an end to Nod.”

 

“We can do it,” Mustang said, stepping forward. “Col. O’Neill is the focal point for the actions of the program, but I have enough knowledge to effectively brief your superiors and leaders of what threats we currently face. If you have no objections O’Neill?”

 

“Gee, you know I’d love to spend weeks on end in monotonous briefings and conferences but I just don’t have the time in my schedule.”

 

“I’d like to stay as well,” Daniel said. “That tomb underneath the temple, that was older than anything I’ve ever seen before on Earth. I mean the Earth I’m from. Whatever Nod is, you’ll need an expert in anthropology and language who’s used to…well I honestly don’t know how to put it.”

 

O’Neill looked over. “Loony ideas and aliens?”

  
Daniel nodded. “Well, putting it rather simply there Jack.”

 

“I’ll arrange your transport,” Locke said. “With the Moebius family working on tiberium studies you all can rest and prepare for debrief. I expect a full report in two days.” Locke looked over to Parker. “And Havoc, I think it’s time we reformed your unit.”

 

Parker shot off the side of the vehicle. “Like hell! Just because these guys roll in I’m supposed to just go along with the idea that-”

 

“Like it or not Havoc these people just did to that temple in thirty minutes what I know would have taken you an hour. They are able to help us against Nod, and more than that they’re willing to do it.” Locke sighed. “We’re up against a new kind of war, I’d rather we have the greater amount of resources on our side to win it.”

 

Parker shook his head. “Fine, fine. You’re the one who’s gonna lose his star if this goes sideways.”

 

Daniel suddenly looked nervous. “You know I can’t help but feel we’ve done this kind of thing before. I mean me being snapped up by a special government operation to assist in going against ancient threats and all.”

 

O’Neill patted Daniel’s shoulder. “Go easy on them Daniel, teach of our ways.”

 

Hawkeye stood behind Mustang. “Our orders sir?”

 

“I can’t very well just stay in another dimension and leave my team to go without me somewhere else,” Mustang said. “We’ll relay to Fuhrer Grumman that we’ll be staying in this dimension until the briefings are finished. With any luck, Gen. Hammond will have a new technology base to utilize.”

 

O’Neill shook his head. “Gah, stop saying that! Fuhrer this, fuhrer that, what is with you guys and fuhrer?”

 

“They say that a lot?” Parker walked over. “No one’s been called furher since the 1930s.”

 

O’Neill nodded. “Thank you, see? They stopped using it too, what do you mean 1930s?”

 

* * *

 

The Nod devotee stood a respectful distance from the bank of screens, all replaying footage from the research facility and temple outside Cairo. “All personnel were either killed or captured. The entirety of Project ReGenesis has been wiped out, we presume Dr. Petrova has been killed by GDI.” The man in the seat watching the monitors waved a hand, and the follower left.

 

Kane leaned over the console, watching footage of a man in an antiquated military uniform snapping his fingers and killing dozens of his best Black Hand. Another screen showed the same man creating explosions that killed his templars, flame turning what was supposed to be the vanguard of his plans into charred bodies and scorched armor plating. The worst was watching him and Parker working together. Pausing one of the screens, Kane made out a geometric design on the man’s white gloves.

 

“So, GDI found a way into the multiverse.” Smiling, Kane leaned back in his chair. “Thank you Parker.”


End file.
